[Albion] FAB Euro Ticketing meeting

[Official Old Man]

How do you feel about 7-year old kids missing out on a free shirt because their old man was too disorganised to register their kid in time to qualify for it?

I done that as well

 

[Goldstone1976]

I done that as well

Still, at least the club didn’t change their rules to give people a benefit they weren’t entitled to. Rules are rules after all.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Question for the FAB - will alcohol be on sale in the ground for the European games? Several years back my company had Arsenal season tickets and they invariably didn't get used for midweek games so I used to go to a fair few games including European nights. I seem to recall they weren't allowed to sell alcohol despite Heineken/Amstel being one of the main sponsors.

Yes you can. It was previously prohibited but they changed the rules some ago.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

I said last season that an away ticket exchange would be really useful. I can see people getting tickets as soon as their tier opens and then realising they have issues with leave from work or travel arrangements. It would look really bad if we sold (say) all 1000 tickets for an away on the first morning and then bums on seats was nearer 800 for example.

Surely this is where the Ticket Protection option could come into play - if people can’t go once buying a ticket then you get your money back and the ticket is put up for re-sale

 

[kevo]

Surely this is where the Ticket Protection option could come into play - if people can’t go once buying a ticket then you get your money back and the ticket is put up for re-sale

The issue with that is you get hundreds of people buying tickets on the off chance they may get the time off work/a cheap flight, knowing they will get their money back if they can't go. There has to be some commitment from fans buying a ticket. Yes, there is an element of risk - but at the end of the day, you've only lost a small amount of money (ie the price of the ticket) if you can't make it.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

The issue with that is you get hundreds of people buying tickets on the off chance they may get the time off work/a cheap flight, knowing they will get their money back if they can't go. There has to be some commitment from fans buying a ticket. Yes, there is an element of risk - but at the end of the day, you've only lost a small amount of money (ie the price of the ticket) if you can't make it.

True and to be fair, the match dates are already known so there’s no reason why the majority of people can’t book the Thursday & Friday off work now and then simply cancel the time off for the dates of our home games once known - that’s what I’ve done. The focus then falls on ability to get the flights as I’m banking on getting a match ticket as I’m fortunate to be in tier 1 for ‘loyalty points’.

 

[Official Old Man]

The issue with that is you get hundreds of people buying tickets on the off chance they may get the time off work/a cheap flight, knowing they will get their money back if they can't go. There has to be some commitment from fans buying a ticket. Yes, there is an element of risk - but at the end of the day, you've only lost a small amount of money (ie the price of the ticket) if you can't make it.

Yes, you only lose the cost of the ticket, but that still means an empty seat. Correct that some may jump in to buy a ticket only to find they cant go, but there has to be a system where you cant just return a ticket.
Maybe set a limit of 7 days to return a ticket and then on day 9 put them up for sale so we know what day they will be there rather than drip feed them back which would mean everyone logging in all day every day.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The issue with that is you get hundreds of people buying tickets on the off chance they may get the time off work/a cheap flight, knowing they will get their money back if they can't go. There has to be some commitment from fans buying a ticket. Yes, there is an element of risk - but at the end of the day, you've only lost a small amount of money (ie the price of the ticket) if you can't make it.

Given the likely scarcity of away tickets, the club need to put something in place to ensure tickets are used. I don’t think an exchange is practical at the moment. Does anyone know what happens at other clubs, or England, if you buy at ticket but don’t use it?

 

[West Upper Seagull]

The Fan Advisory Board are meeting with the club next week to discuss what plans they have already made for ticketing the "European Tour"

The meeting is an opportunity for the club to explain the planning they have done to date and for us to ask questions on behalf of the fans.
We have been listening to fans concerns with questions received by email, at meetings, and through social media. We have come up with the following list of questions to ask.


European Away games
Will the club use the same loyalty points system as they do for PL away games?

Will there be travel + ticket packages?
If so, will these give travelling fans access to match tickets aside from loyalty points?

We know we only get 5% ticket allocation in Europe.
Will players tickets, club staff tickets and sponsors tickets come out of this 5%?

Knowing that demand will out strip supply, will the club automatically agree to take on the full allocation?

Would a fan be able to buy tickets for all three away games in a package if they have the qualifying loyalty points?

We understand that many other PL clubs, who regularly play in Europe, only allow tickets to be collected at the away ground by the ticket holder with ID. Is that something you plan to do?

Are the club making any provision for Albion fans who travel without tickets?

Home games

Will fans buying home tickets be prioritised as for FA Cup games? (i.e. Season tickets, Season ticket guests, Albion member+ etc)

What will pricing be for Euro home games? Same as PL Cat A, Cat B, etc ?

Will Euro ticket prices include travel ?

How will you ensure away fans are not able to get tickets in the home seats?

Will away fans be able to buy corporate hospitality and gain access that way?

For Europa League Games, is the stadium handed over to UEFA in the same way it was for the Euros? (e.g. Euro signage, and only Heineken beers)

Are the club making any provision for visiting fans who travel without tickets?


If you have a question that we have overlooked, please reply to this thread by Sunday evening. I will feedback on this thread after the meeting and the official meeting minutes will be posted on the FAB page of the club website and the Fan Advisory Board's independent website www.bhafc-fab.co.uk

I have a request more than a question, that is to ask if the club can publish their approach BEFORE the draw / fixtures are announced so that fans can start making plans with their eyes wide open. For example, if the fixture dates are confirmed the same day as the draw (1st Sept) then fans may / will want to start booking travel immediately, but this becomes more of a gamble if we have no idea about the approach for the sale of match tickets if the club decide not to follow the same ‘loyalty points’ approach as for league games and don’t announce any change before the match ticket on sale dates.

 

[Giraffe]

I have a request more than a question, that is to ask if the club can publish their approach BEFORE the draw / fixtures are announced so that fans can start making plans with their eyes wide open. For example, if the fixture dates are confirmed the same day as the draw (1st Sept) then fans may / will want to start booking travel immediately, but this becomes more of a gamble if we have no idea about the approach for the sale of match tickets if the club decide not to follow the same ‘loyalty points’ approach as for league games and don’t announce any change before the match ticket on sale dates.

I agree with this generally. It might help. However I suspect that the very variable nature of the allocations depending on where it is will make it very hard to give much guidance

 

[Springal]

What logic are people using to think the club would do anything than use the same system as we do for a PL away game ?

 

[West Upper Seagull]

I agree with this generally. It might help. However I suspect that the very variable nature of the allocations depending on where it is will make it very hard to give much guidance

I’m thinking general guidance either confirming whether the same ‘loyalty’ points approach as league games will apply or something different as others have suggested on this thread (I’m hoping it’s the former as that remains the fairest). I appreciate they can’t go into anything more in depth at this stage until they know who we’re playing and the exact allocation number. If it’s the normal ‘loyalty’ points approach people will have a general idea of what tier they will be in based on where they were last season (although best to base it on the Bournemouth allocation !)

 

[drew]

True and to be fair, the match dates are already known so there’s no reason why the majority of people can’t book the Thursday & Friday off work now and then simply cancel the time off for the dates of our home games once known - that’s what I’ve done. The focus then falls on ability to get the flights as I’m banking on getting a match ticket as I’m fortunate to be in tier 1 for ‘loyalty points’.

Deleted post.

 

[drew]

The issue with that is you get hundreds of people buying tickets on the off chance they may get the time off work/a cheap flight, knowing they will get their money back if they can't go. There has to be some commitment from fans buying a ticket. Yes, there is an element of risk - but at the end of the day, you've only lost a small amount of money (ie the price of the ticket) if you can't make it.

Have you actually read the terms and conditions of the protection scheme? It doesn't cover you if you decide not to go. There are certain criteria before you get your money back. For example, if you are going to claim illness, you'll need a doctors certificate to verify that!

 

[pastafarian]

Given the likely scarcity of away tickets, the club need to put something in place to ensure tickets are used. I don’t think an exchange is practical at the moment. Does anyone know what happens at other clubs, or England, if you buy at ticket but don’t use it?

Englandfans used to ask for evidence you travelled (flight confirmation etc) or you were kicked out the club.
I got booted out myself when i didnt provide any evidence of going to Poland by the requested date (reinstaed later after an appel process).

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Englandfans used to ask for evidence you travelled (flight confirmation etc) or you were kicked out the club.
I got booted out myself when i didnt provide any evidence of going to Poland by the requested date (reinstaed later after an appel process).

A significant admin overhead but maybe Barber will do similar. I guess a loyalty points deduction will have a similar effect.

 

[Vicar!]

It would not surprise me if several hundred tickets disappeared into an official ‘travel with the team’ VIP trip open to all at a substantial cost.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

I wasn't asking about in sight of the pitch. I meant on the concourses/lounges.

Ah yes, forgot about this. I haven’t been to an England match for years but in the 00’s you could get a beer at a friendly but if it was a qualifier then, nope. (Can’t remember if it was World Cup (FIFA) or Euro’s (UEFA) or both, but it was at least one of them)

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Yes, you only lose the cost of the ticket, but that still means an empty seat. Correct that some may jump in to buy a ticket only to find they cant go, but there has to be a system where you cant just return a ticket.
Maybe set a limit of 7 days to return a ticket and then on day 9 put them up for sale so we know what day they will be there rather than drip feed them back which would mean everyone logging in all day every day.

How can you predict when people are going to change their minds or circumstances change eg illness. If ticket returns are to be allowed (perhaps with a restricted number of opportunities) then whoever subsequently buys the re sold ticket will be greatful for the opportunity and not worry about them being sold in dribs and drabs. Currently tickets given to players etc can be returned and are re-sold whenever they become available. I have bought away tickets a few times when this has happened and have been really pleased rather than worrying about inconvenience.

 

[Springal]

A significant admin overhead but maybe Barber will do similar. I guess a loyalty points deduction will have a similar effect.

Yes and very easily forged, hence why they moved to 100% collection only